Questions and Anger For Worship

The Q&A in the discussion of true worship has to do with “questions and anger” rather than “questions and answers.” In many of the Psalms, David would present his questions and anger to the Lord because he could not find any answers.

If you are to be honest with God, and you should since He knows your true heart anyway, you will sometimes come before Him with unanswered questions and even with anger because of the situation that you are in. And God’s word gives guidance through those troubling times.

David would go before God with “Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Have you ever been there? We all have. This is how David begins his time of worship with God in Psalm 10. Other times he began with “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?” If you have never lived in Psalm 13 for a season, the question may seem strange, but in the frustrating times of those seasons in life that question may be all you can bring to God. So is that still worship? How do you worship God with Q&A like that? Know this, not only can you, but you must!

One reason you must learn to worship with Q&A is that others are not able to answer questions like that and they sure can’t handle your anger. The danger of those seasons in life is that you turn to others for answers and with your anger. This never ends well. Or you will suppress the anger in order to just “live with the questions” and telling yourself to “just get over it.” This becomes the pressure cooker for depression. You cannot manage the anger of others any more than you can manage your own. But God can and does, if you will present yourself to Him, Q&A and all! This is what it means to worship the Father in spirit and truth. This is what being a true worshiper looks like, sometimes.

During those seasons, take it to the Lord and worship, even if all you have are big questions and anger. Give it to Him by giving yourself to Him. God can handle it, because He knows you and loves you. Together, you and God can work through those times.

Our problem is that we give up on God, get tired of waiting, and cave to the temptation to take matters into our own hands. This never ends well. But by giving yourself to God, Q&A and all, you are trusting that He will handle you and lead you to see that He is greater than the big questions and much greater than your anger! Give it all to Jesus! He can take it, in fact, He did, on the cross. Once you get there, you are on the holy ground of worshiping the Father in spirit and truth.

Today, if you are covered up with Q&A, let David teach you how to worship with it. He learned and so can you. If you are not there today, you probably know someone who is. Pray for them. Be there for them, but don’t attempt to answer their questions and for sure do not receive their anger. Encourage them that they can trust God, especially with Q&A.